Researching Sensitive Topics | Strategies & Considerations

Introduction

Data collection in sensitive research requires careful consideration of how to treat research participants with the respect and acknowledgment of human rights they are entitled to in and out of research contexts. With this in mind, field researchers should not only be trained in data collection methods and standards of research rigor, but also the soft research skills involved in making research participants comfortable with the research process. In this article, we'll examine the nature of researching sensitive topics and what researchers should consider when engaging with the field in order to gather rich insights through qualitative methods.

What makes a sensitive topic?

From the outset, it's important to acknowledge that any research topic can be potentially sensitive and thus pose risks to research participants and even researchers themselves. From early scientific inquiries that challenged religious dogma about Earth's place in the universe to more contemporary research about institutional inequities arising from differences in race and gender, everyone affected by research is bound to have a set of sensitive subjects that they would prefer not to be explored.

Broadly speaking, sensitive research is any inquiry in which anyone involved may not feel comfortable about the study itself or the findings it reports. This discomfort can also arise from individual issues as much as it can stem from cultural or social dimensions. The care and consideration a researcher must undertake depends on the stage of the research process at which a particular study may broach a sensitive topic and why such a topic is sensitive.

As a result, there is no straightforward set of guidelines in how to engage in this sort of field research. Beyond general principles of respect and consideration, how to establish comfort with interview respondents or observed participants depends largely on the particular circumstances of the research context and the topics to be explored in data collection. What is important to keep in mind, however, is that researchers in the field are not meant to be detached observers if they want to gather critical insights.

What makes researching sensitive topics necessary?

In general terms, the richer the data collection, the more insightful the resulting data analysis. Interviews and observations, after all, are intended to gather data on the insider perspectives that research participants have. Moreover, research inquiries on sensitive topics such as mental illness and sex work tend to focus on the nature of power dynamics between interactants in ways that are less likely in more conventional research. In many cases, understanding human nature and interaction involves exploring topics that are difficult to broach without providing the researched with a safe space to share their knowledge and experiences.

What are the risks involved in researching sensitive topics?

While there are significant benefits to researching controversial or sensitive topics, there are also potential risks to both the researched and the broader context in which they inhabit. There are countless examples of research studies that have been conducted unethically, causing emotional or reputational harm to research participants. Even in the case of ethically conducted research, interview respondents or observed subjects can often become non-responsive or hostile when confronted or engaged in a way that makes them uncomfortable, thus confounding the research process.

Ethical research practices are especially important in this sort of research as it often involves the collection of data from vulnerable populations. What constitutes ethical qualitative research often requires soft skills aimed at establishing rapport and comfort with the researched. These skills are not necessarily associated with principles of research rigor, but they are essential to collection of robust, empirical data.

Examples of sensitive topics

There are countless topics that may prove controversial or uncomfortable within any given research context, but here are a few issues common within social science research.

Mental health

Psychiatric and medical research often involves research topics that can cause individual discomfort. Mental illness, whether caused by trauma, identity, or physiology, is one such subject, given social norms regarding resilience and self-empowerment. The tension between the need for support networks in times of mental distress and any cultural imperative to tolerate anxiety or stress is a source of numerous research inquiries but also a topic that those suffering from poor mental health are hesitant to talk about.

The key to researching topics such as mental health is to ensure the researched about the confidentiality of data collection. Keeping the identity of research participants anonymous is one of the most important measures common in all human subjects research. Researchers of mental health, however, should also make sure to protect participants' well-being by providing access to professionals who can offer support in times of distress during the course of a study.

Substance abuse

Needless to say, the improper use of drugs, alcohol, or other harmful substances carries a stigma that many consider best hidden from the outside world, as the damage to one's reputation can adversely affect job prospects, financial stability, and social standing. Substance abuse is a common example of social desirability bias in survey research, where respondents who may have substance issues decline to report any problems with drugs or alcohol, even if survey data responses are collected anonymously.

Researching such topics requires the researcher to carefully consider their research design, especially if their first instinct is to conduct surveys or interviews. Direct questions on sensitive topics are less likely to draw genuine answers, especially where there is limited rapport between the researchers and their respondents. Instead, research methods such as ethnographic observations might gather the data you are looking for by establishing the necessary rapport with research participants to create the space for them to participate freely in research.

Illegal activities

Anyone engaging in illegal activities is bound to be treated as taboo within the cultures that disapprove of their behavior and perspectives. This includes, for various and disparate reasons, sex workers, drug dealers, and undocumented labor. Without painting these populations with the same brush, each of these groups face consequences if the data they volunteer is mishandled and exposes their identities to the greater public.

Researching populations involved in questionable behavior can harm the researched as well as the researcher. One of the more famous examples of ethically questionable behaviors by researchers can be found in research on inner city life involving racial inequity and crime. Alice Goffman's (2014) ethnographic study involved claims of participant observation that drew accusations of the researcher herself being involved in criminal activity, or at least inaction that adversely harmed others where intervention would have been prudent. In conducting such sensitive research, field researchers should take care to exercise caution in order to keep themselves and others from immediate jeopardy, particularly in cases where institutions require the researcher to have an obligation to protect the well-being of others.

Palliative care

Patients dealing with the early stages of a terminal disease might be uncomfortable with talking about their experiences on both individual and cultural levels. Coupled with the physical and emotional toll of facing death, hospice patients encounter financial burdens involved with palliative care as well as the perceived social stigma of illness. Under these circumstances, there is seldom an easy conversation to be had with people under palliative care.

Even if research participants face little or no reprisal for volunteering data that may be mishandled later on, sensitive topics such as hospice treatment should still be approached with care and respect, both for the purposes of collecting rich data and protecting the well-being of terminally ill patients. Researchers in these inquiries are expected to balance these two objectives, even if protecting the welfare of hospice patients limits opportunities for richer data collection.

How to address sensitive topics in research

Social science researchers should approach any field work with respect for the researched in mind. When the researcher is the most important instrument in field work, they have to be particularly mindful of how their research design and interactions in the field affect the research context. Here are some of the important considerations when researching sensitive topics.

Gain ethical approval

In formal, academic settings, research commences only when the underlying research design has been approved by institutional ethics review. Internal review boards and ethics committees exist as guardrails against harmful or otherwise sensitive research. Depending on the institution, the extent of this review can extend as far as the specific questions asked in interviews, but also involves an assessment of more perfunctory issues such as the participants' time required to collect data and the procedures involved when handling data. Clearing this hurdle ensures that the research design is not only robust but also mindful of the sensitive issues involved in the field.

Seek rapport

An outsider researcher cannot expect to collect rich data the moment they enter the field, particularly if it requires having some level of rapport with participants before they open up and volunteer data. A good rapport with research participants is an important component of any human subjects research, but is especially critical in any discussion of topics where participants might feel uncomfortable and require a safe space before they become willing to volunteer information. Depending on the topic being researched, this search for rapport can be time-consuming and complicated, but the consequent access to rich data offsets the challenges of gaining familiarity within the research context.

Show consideration

Even after you establish a working rapport with your research participants, sensitivity is required during data collection to get to the insights you're looking for. In interviews, this means carefully crafting questions that demonstrate empathy and establish a level of comfort where research participants feel safe to share knowledge and perspectives without reprisal or embarrassment. In observational research, this also means being upfront with what you are observing and why you are observing it. Whatever the case, being transparent and considerate is an important quality that a researcher must have in the field.

Protect data

Privacy and confidentiality are among the most important principles in protecting research participants from harm. In terms of human subjects data, researchers should never disseminate raw data collected from the field without the consent of the observed. The data should be anonymized and free of any personal information that could identify research participants such as names, addresses, and other contact information. Moreover, multimedia data such as audio and video recordings should also be carefully handled. Such recordings are often converted into transcripts or textual data since faces and voices can identify research participants.

Further reading

• Goffman, A. (2014). On the run: Fugitive life in an American city. University of Chicago Press.